Only 28% of Vets Say Britain Is Ready for Foot-and-Mouth. Is Your Farm Income Ready if the Gates Close?
In Lancashire, one farming family never had foot-and-mouth on their land. Their animals stayed healthy. Yet they told the Lancashire Post, twenty years on, that they went 18 months with no income because they could not sell their stock.
That was 2001. Today, only 28% of UK vets say the profession is ready for the next big outbreak. So is your farm income ready if the gates close? Not unless you have three things in writing: a biosecurity plan for visitors, a closure plan, and income that does not need open gates. Here is how to build all three.
Short answer: Probably not yet. A British Veterinary Association survey found only 28% of vets think the profession is prepared for a major notifiable disease outbreak. In 2001, foot-and-mouth closed most footpaths and visitor businesses lost billions. The answer is not to turn visitors away. It is to plan: written biosecurity, a closure plan, and income that keeps paying behind closed gates. |
What the vets just told Britain
On 9 November 2026, Farmers Weekly reported the British Veterinary Association's latest Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey. Only 28% of vets think the profession is prepared for a significant notifiable disease outbreak, such as foot-and-mouth or African swine fever.
The biggest gap is training, named by 63% of vets. Next came lack of time (48%), unclear processes (46%), trouble getting released by employers (44%) and low confidence with unfamiliar species or diseases (40%). The good news: eight in ten vets would help a national response.
The BVA will discuss the findings at its Congress, part of the London Vet Show (19 and 20 November). Its president, Gwen Rees, called the timing apt after the UK's worst-ever bluetongue outbreak this year.
And the pressure keeps building this autumn:
Bluetongue: Defra's latest update shows restricted zones across the whole of England, Scotland and Wales.
Shamonda virus: On 2 November, APHA announced it had found the virus in cattle on two dairy farms, one in Powys and one in Shropshire. It is not a notifiable disease.
Bird flu: H5N1 was confirmed in commercial poultry near Belford, Northumberland, on 19 October. Great Britain had already lost its bird-flu-free status in early October, after a case on the Isle of Lewis.
Reality Check: None of this is a foot-and-mouth outbreak. The survey is about readiness, not a case. But readiness is the one thing a visitor farm can control. |
What 2001 really cost visitor businesses
Foot-and-mouth was suspected at an Essex abattoir on 19 February 2001. By the time it ended, more than six million animals had been slaughtered, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).
But the sharpest financial hit did not land on farms. The NAO found that tourism and the businesses that depend on it lost between £4.5 billion and £5.4 billion in revenue. Agriculture, the food chain and supporting services bore net costs of £0.6 billion, after compensation.
What the NAO counted | Figure |
Animals slaughtered | More than 6 million |
Cost to the public sector | Over £3 billion |
Cost to the private sector | Over £5 billion |
Tourism and supporting industries: lost revenue | £4.5 billion to £5.4 billion |
Agriculture, food chain and supporting services: net costs | £0.6 billion |
Why did visitors vanish? Because the countryside looked closed. On 27 February 2001, ministers gave councils emergency powers to shut public rights of way, and by early March most rural councils had closed their networks. By 15 April, only 14% of footpaths were open. The last guidance to lift remaining restrictions came on 7 December.
Farms with visitors were hit twice. A medical review of the crisis noted that about a third of farmers topped up their income with other work, such as tourism and haulage, and that this income stopped quickly.
Newcastle University's Centre for Rural Economy surveyed 78 North East farms. Livestock farms that were not culled still faced an average income shortfall of £18,000 in 2001 to 2002, and received no compensation. Some diversified businesses and off-farm jobs suffered too.
In 2003, MPs on the Public Accounts Committee said the countryside should have stayed open and that blanket footpath closures should not have lasted so long. That is a lesson for government. Yours is simpler: next time the rules may differ, and you will have to trade under whichever rules apply.
Reality Check: Do not assume compensation will cover visitor income. Farmers received over £1.1 billion for animals slaughtered for disease control. Livestock farms that were not culled got none of it. Ask your insurer today what your policy would actually pay. |
The lesson is not "stop welcoming visitors"
After 2001, farms changed. By the crisis's 15th anniversary, half of England's 57,000 farms had extra income streams, according to a report in inews.
Visitors were never the problem. A single point of failure was. If everything you earn depends on one gate, one footpath or one herd, one notice from the council can stop it all. Our guide to 25 proven agritourism income streams shows how to spread that risk.
Part 1: A written biosecurity plan for visitors
Keep it to one page. Pin it in the farm office. Walk your visitor route and mark every place a visitor could touch an animal, a gate or a fence. Then build these six parts.
No. 1: Name the boss. One person on every open day has the power to stop a visit or close an area. No debate.
No. 2: Keep paths clean. Set visitor routes. Government guidance for livestock keepers suggests avoiding unnecessary visitors and, where possible, giving visitors' vehicles hard-standing parking away from livestock. See our guide to farm hazards visitors cannot see.
No. 3: Put handwash points at every exit. Soap, running water and towels, not just gel. Our petting zoo handwashing system shows where they go.
No. 4: Clean footwear and vehicles. Provide facilities to clean and disinfect boots and vehicles, and disinfect farm vehicles when they return to the farm. The NFU's biosecurity checklist covers this.
No. 5: Sign it and supervise it. Clear signs, staff close to animal contact, and a simple visitor log so you can say who came and when.
No. 6: Know the report line. If you suspect foot-and-mouth in animals, you must report it immediately. In England, the Defra Rural Services Helpline is 03000 200 301. In Wales it is 0300 303 8268.
Field-Tested Play: Copy the plan onto one laminated card for every staff member and volunteer, and brief them for five minutes before each open day. A plan nobody has read will not protect you. |
Reality Check: Disinfectants are not all the same. Use a Defra-approved product at the stated dilution, and keep footbaths topped up and clean. Ask your vet which product suits the disease you are guarding against. |
We cover the same ground for other diseases in our posts on bird flu and farm visitors and the screwworm biosecurity plan. The habits carry over.
Part 2: A closure plan, decided before the gates close
In an outbreak you will not have time to think. Decide now, write it down, and share it with your team.
If this happens | You do this | You tell customers |
Disease reported nearby, no restrictions on you yet | Pause animal contact, tighten cleaning, cap numbers | Which areas are closed and what is still open |
The council closes a footpath or access route you rely on | Close that route, switch sales to online orders and collection | How to buy, and when you will reopen |
Your area falls inside an official zone | Follow Defra, APHA and local authority instructions. Close to visitors if required | Rebooking and voucher options, in writing |
Restrictions lift | Deep clean, restock, relaunch event dates | A "we are open" email to your list first |
Pre-write the customer messages today. Write your refund and rebooking wording now, and have your solicitor or adviser check it against your booking terms. Then make a call list: your vet, insurer, council, bank and key staff.
If you already have a bad-weather policy, extend it. Our post on a farm bad-weather policy gives wording you can adapt. For a wider plan, use the free one-page template in our agritourism risk management plan.
Part 3: Income that keeps paying when the gates close
This is the part most farms skip. A closure plan protects your animals and your name. Income that works without visitors protects your bank balance.
Income stream | Needs open gates? | First step this month |
Online orders and click-and-collect | No | Set up a simple order form and a collection slot. Check what you may sell and move at the time |
Gift vouchers | No: buy now, redeem later | Create vouchers with clear expiry and rebooking terms. Have your adviser check them |
Off-farm events: markets, school talks, village hall classes | No | Book one event this quarter |
Email and WhatsApp list | No | Ask every visitor to join, every time |
Visitors still matter, because every visit is a chance to build your list. Learn how in how to create an online presence for your agritourism farm. For direct sales, see why families drive out to farms to buy direct, and for classes you can sell beyond the gate, see listing farm classes on Airbnb Experiences, Viator and Tripadvisor.
What I do on my own farm
On my durian farm, Bloopy Durians in Bentong, Malaysia, we welcome visitors from all over the world. But I also keep a WhatsApp list of loyal customers who buy durians whenever they are available. That list is reliable income that does not need a single visitor to walk through the gate.
Build yours before you need it.
Questions to ask your insurer and adviser
This is general information, not legal or veterinary advice. Take these questions to your insurer, solicitor and vet:
Does my policy pay for lost income when authorities restrict access or movement, even if disease is not on my land?
Does cover include visitor income such as the farm shop, café and events, or only livestock?
What is the waiting period, the payout limit and the radius around an outbreak?
Will my public liability insurer expect a written biosecurity plan and handwash points?
Who can legally close the footpaths on my land, and what must I tell customers who have booked or hold vouchers?
For plain-English help, read what agritourism insurance covers and what to do when your insurer says no.
Frequently asked questions
Is foot-and-mouth in Britain right now?
The Farmers Weekly report is about preparedness, not a case. Foot-and-mouth is a notifiable disease, so if you suspect it, you must report it immediately. Follow current Defra, APHA and local authority guidance.
Can I keep visitors on my farm if foot-and-mouth returns?
That depends on the rules at the time. In 2001, councils closed most footpaths. Later reviews criticised how long those closures lasted. Have a closure plan ready, and follow official instructions.
What should a visitor biosecurity plan include?
At least six things: a named person in charge, set visitor routes, handwash points, footwear and vehicle cleaning, clear signs with supervision, and the report line.
Will tourism income be compensated?
Do not assume so. In 2001, farmers were paid for animals slaughtered, but Newcastle researchers found that livestock farms that were not culled received no compensation for their lost income. Ask your insurer what is covered.
Does a crop or orchard farm need this?
Foot-and-mouth affects cloven-hoofed animals. But in 2001, footpath closures and travel fears hit visitor businesses of every kind, so you still need a closure plan and income that does not rely on open gates.
Is your farm income ready? Find out in 5 minutes
The Farm Readiness Quiz shows which parts of your farm business are strong and which need fixing first, including safety, insurance and income spread. It costs nothing.
Then, if you want a second pair of eyes on your biosecurity plan, your closure plan and your income streams, book a one-on-one consultation with me.
Still deciding how to spread your income? "150 Ways to Unlock Hidden Wealth From Your Farm" is my free ebook, packed with ideas for income that works with or without visitors.
P.S. The Lancashire family's animals were healthy, and their income stopped anyway. The farms that came through 2001 best were the ones with more than one way to earn. Start your closure plan this week, while the gates are still open.
Stephen Loke of AgritourismSuccess.com, whose farm is featured in Bloomberg News and Asahi Shimbun. This article is general information, not veterinary or legal advice. Check current Defra, APHA and local authority guidance, and speak to your vet, insurer and solicitor.
Sources
Farmers Weekly: Vets fear UK unprepared for major animal disease outbreak (9 November 2026)
National Audit Office: The 2001 Outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (2002)
Newcastle University Centre for Rural Economy: Research Report 35 (2002)
Newcastle University Centre for Rural Economy: Research Report 32
Advances in Psychiatric Treatment (2005): review of the 2001 outbreak's effects on rural communities
Emerging Infectious Diseases (CDC): timeline of the 2001 UK epidemic, from NAO data
Public Finance: MPs slam Defra's handling of foot and mouth (2003)
Lancashire Post: Foot and mouth was a disaster, farmers reflect 20 years on
GOV.UK: Shamonda virus detected in livestock in Great Britain for the first time
GOV.UK: Keeping livestock healthy, disease controls and prevention
Comments